Second Time Around
by Xiao Dee
Summary: Oneshot. Ryou and Chigusa decide to hang out again offline after saving The World.  Will their second date be as disastrous as the first?  Takes place after the end of .hackGUplus volume 5.


Disclaimer: I do not own .hack

Second Time Around

_So. You have time on Sunday? _

_Y-Yes!_

_Okay, cool. See you later._

"Aargh!" Chigusa Kusaka flopped onto her bed in frustration. It was two o'clock in the morning, and she was so stressed out that she couldn't sleep. Later today she and Ryou had made plans to hang out in Tokyo again, and this time better not be another repeat of their last meeting! Back then, Ryou had been bored and she had been sad that he was only thinking about Shino. But now, after protecting The World with their companions, their friendship had deepened. Recently online, Haseo had become much less irritated at her and was more amused than pissed off when she got on his nerves. Yet, what was it that Ryou had said to her when they hung out the first time? _"We're not game characters! The online Atoli and the real-world Chigusa are different." _He might have grown to like her in The World, but what about offline? Chigusa obviously liked him very much and didn't want to bore him yet again. Thus, she found herself still worried about their date, which in itself was another question. Was it even a date? She certainly thought so. Two people who liked each other spending time together away from everything else.. Sure sounded like a date. It was their second one actually, but who knows what Ryou thinks. It could still just a regular hang-out to him.. He was so blind..

"Chigusa? Chigusa!" Mother's voice cut through my hazy dreams like a knife. Why is she yelling so loud this early in the morning?

"M-mom? What's the matter?" The dark-haired girl stifles a yawn as she struggles out of bed and opens her bedroom door. Her mother stands in the doorway, looking agitated.

"There's a cranky young man downstairs who claims that he's here to take you into Tokyo. Don't tell me he's not joking, young lady!"

Oh, man. Chigusa glanced at her clock. It read eleven thirty. "W-What?"

"I knew it!" Mom nods approvingly, "He _is_ lying! I'll go deal with him, then." She moves to go to the front door.

Chigusa's foggy mind suddenly clears up. "W-Wait, Mom! A cranky young man, right? He's my friend from school! We were going to meet up in Tokyo to go buy some books for next term, so I didn't expect him to come here.."

"A friend from school?" her mother doesn't look pleased, "He looks older than you.. and I've never seen him before."

"You haven't seen a lot of my friends," Chigusa mutters, "It's okay, I'll go talk to him. Sorry about that." She makes her way to the opened front door, taking a deep breath. Oh, God. Ryou must be furious.

He was standing just outside the door, staring off into space. It was freezing outside, with snowflakes drifting slowly down from the sky, but the boy didn't look fazed at all covered in a blue sweatshirt with a black jacket on top of it, his hands thrust into the pockets. His moody eyes turned to her as she appeared. "Humph."

"Ryou-san, I'm sorry! I overslept!" Chigusa says anxiously.

"I can see that," he replies, eying her up and down.

She blinked and looked down. She was still wearing her baby blue pajamas with the yellow ducky design. Oops. So not attractive. "I-I need to change!" She panics, talking fast, "Please wait for me a few minutes! Sorry! I'm sorry!"

Ryou raises an eyebrow as he watched her run back inside. Trust the girl to act silly so early on into their date.. Interesting start.

"What made you decide to come to Chiba to get me, Ryou-san?" Chigusa asks as they arrived in Tokyo a few hours later, "I thought we were meeting up in Tokyo."

He looks down at her lazily. Chigusa was now wearing a gray woolen dress with black ankle boots and a patterned green-and-black scarf. Her dark hair spilled over the scarf, and her eyes looked bright and cheerful as they glanced up to meet his. She looked very pretty, though the ducky pj's he'd seen her in this morning wasn't that bad either. It was cute. _She_ made the clothes look good, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "I was bored and had nothing to do, so I figured I'd go to Chiba and just call you when I'm almost at your house. You never answered, so I knocked."

"Sorry.. Did my Mom say anything mean to you?"

Her worried expression made Ryou want to laugh. "No. She was surprised, that's all. Why would you ask that?"

"Eh.. My parents don't like it when I go out with guys.. They.. umm.. don't like me dating," She blushed.

"Who said we're dating?"

"Eh?" Ryou's words and careless tone startled Chigusa. She was confused. Was he teasing her? "What are you-"

"Oh, we're here." He nodded toward the movie theater they had walked to. Pushing the door open, he headed inside without another look back.

Chigusa sighed. Looks like the real-world Ryou hasn't changed a bit. This wasn't a date, after all.. Ryou stuck his head out, "Are you going to come in or what?"

"Huh?" She looked up.

He rolled his eyes, "You going to come in or stay out there and freeze to death? By the way, you got something on your face." He gestured at her left cheek, then went back inside.

What? She took a quick look into the glass window of the big theater. There, clearly standing out next to her mouth, was a smudge of dried toothpaste. It had been there since the morning when she had rushed into the bathroom. Chigusa thought for a moment that she could melt into the ground. This was so embarrassing! She was making a mess of herself. Quickly, she wiped a hand over the spot and the got the toothpaste off. Oh, why was she always so clumsy..

"_Chigusa_." Ryou's tone was exasperated now. He had come back outside, "What the heck are you doing? Let's go." He took her elbow and steered her into the theater.

RAWWWRR!

The terribly frightening and psychotic, half-human, half-monster creature in the wide screen roared and swooped in on its skeletal wings to attack the unsuspecting characters in the film. The music had built up to this climax, and the movie was getting creepier and scarier by the minute.

Low in her seat and armed with popcorn to block her sight, Chigusa tried not to scream and deeply regretted that she had chosen to see this horror film. The reason they were watching it now is because she thought Ryou might like this stuff. After all, in The World, he is the Terror of Death.

"How are you liking the movie , Ryou-san?" She looked over at him. He should be enjoying this.

"..." The spikey haired teen was fast asleep in his seat, immune to all the noise issuing from the speakers. He was _that_ bored.

Chigusa remembered to count to ten. Okay, so maybe this was the wrong movie to see. Perhaps things will get better once they go get something to eat after the movie.

"How's that place?" Ryou asked her, pointing at the nearby fast food restaurant.

"Sure," She said.

Ryou had woken up when the credits rolled and she had pretended that she hadn't seen him sleeping. Now, they found themselves seated and eating.

"Did you like the movie, Ryou-san?" Chigusa asked, picking at her french fries.

"It was like crap," He said between bites of his burger, "I think I nodded off within the first fifteen minutes."

Wow, talk about straightforward. "I thought you might like it, since you know, you're really good at fighting monsters in The World." She fingered her unopened soda.

"That's different. You can't be in a movie, you're only watching it."

"Oh, I see. So, umm, have you been keeping in touch with our friends from the game?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I talked to Kuhn-san the other day," Chigusa continued, now trying to crack open the tab on her soda, "He says we should all go on a challenge or item hunting together. I think he misses hanging out with us now that things are back to normal." She smiles.

"Maybe."

"So umm.. H-How's things with Shino-san?"

"Good. I talk to her from time to time. She's a lot happier now."

"Y-yeah? That's good.." Her tone is tinted with sadness. "I'm sure you have a lot of fun with her."

Ryou lets out a sigh, "Why do you still keep asking about Shino every time we talk?"

"Well.. you know.. umm.. I- I.." Chigusa fidgets, still trying to pop open her drink, and in the process was shaking it up and down. "No reason."

"What's there to wonder about? I thought everything was clear," He looks at her, eyes dark, "I don't get why you're always never confident in yourself. You never believe in yourself. I thought Atoli had learned to be brave. Looks like Chigusa hasn't."

"What are you saying?" She protested, "Why are you so mean all the time to me?"

He was about to say something. His mouth was already open, and there was an angry look in his eyes. But he never got to, because suddenly, a loud crack was heard, and the next thing Ryou knew was that his face and the entire front of his sweatshirt was dripping in Coke. Chigusa had finally opened her soda, but the sticky spray that issued from the can had landed on Ryou.

There was complete silence for a moment. Then-

"Ryou-san! I-I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, standing up and looking all over for a napkin, "Oh, no. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I swear! I always end up causing trouble for you."

She wasn't sure if he was seriously pissed, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he just stood up and walked into the men's room.

Chigusa sat back down miserably. She had thought that maybe this time, everything will go smoothly. In The World, Atoli adored Haseo, and in the real world, Chigusa liked Ryou Misaki as well. But Ryou never showed any special emotion toward her, never dropped any hints that he might like her.. She had tried so hard to think of things to do today that he might like, but failed. She could never replace Shino and her hold on Ryou's heart.

When the boy returned, he didn't listen to her apologies. Instead, he just got irritated at them. "Just stop," he said darkly, "Forget it. Is there anything else you want to do? Because if not, I have other things I could be doing."

She looked down, disheartened and hardly in the mood to continue their date, "N-No. I guess I'll go home then."

"I'll take you home."

"Huh?" She was surprised that he still would do that after this.

"You heard me. Your mother will probably hunt me down if I don't, now that she's seen me."

"It's okay. You really don't have to, Ryou-san."

"I said I will."

"Oh... Okay."

The monorail was filled with people. It was late afternoon and soon-to-be dusk, so everyone was either heading home or going to work. Chigusa found herself and Ryou standing squished, hardly able to move and holding on to the handrails. The spikey haired boy was silent and still fuming and glaring at her, and she was scared to anger him more. What did she do to make him so mad anyways?

She sighed and waited for the stops to go by. This could their last time hanging out.

Just as she began to sulk, she heard a whistle nearby. Looking up, Chigusa spotted a gang of teenage boys about her age lounging in some seats right next to her. They looked like a bad bunch, and they were whispering and laughing while eying her. She quickly looked away to avoid them, but the boys didn't stop looking at her. She could hear them talking about her.

"Mm..Check out that girl. You think she's a cutie?" One guy elbowed his friend.

"She's real cute, if you ask me. Think she'd go on a date with me?"

One of them laughed loudly, "Hey, I think she's shy, dude. You're making her blush. She'll probably reject you!"

"No way, I'm the coolest. No one rejects me."

Chigusa squeezed her eyes shut, willing them to shut up. She didn't want to talk to them at all. But the guys saw her turn away and began to hassle her even more.

"Hey, pretty thing!" One stood up to be pushed up next to her, "What's your name?"

She refused to look at him, but then he grabbed her wrist, making her gasp. "I asked for your name, girl."

"Ah!" She didn't know what to do. There was so many people and the car was still moving. She couldn't just run or anything.

But then she didn't have to. She suddenly felt herself being pulled back and then she found herself staring at Ryou's jacket. He had pushed himself in front of her and now was holding the guy that had got up by his shirt. "Leave her alone, you ass." He warned darkly, his face full of distain.

"W-Who the hell are you?" The guy yelled. His buddies look startled.

"Never mind that, but if you try to bother her one more time," Ryou's expression was terrible, "You're dead." Turning to Chigusa, he grabbed her hand, "Let's go."

She let him pull her to the exit of the car. It began to slow and screech to a stop. "But this isn't our stop."

"We can walk the rest of the way, it's not that far." Ignoring her protest, he navigated them out of the station and out into the open air.

Now Chigusa felt doubly bad. The morning had already started off bad with her forgetfulness, and then the movie, and now the boys in the subway. Ryou could have gotten into a fight because of her. This whole day was an epic failure. She felt tears stinging in her eyes.

"Ryou-san?" She asked softly as they walked along.

"Yeah?"

"I really am sorry for everything that happened today. I know I say it too much, but I really am."

"I told you, forget it."

She looked away, humiliated still. What was wrong with her? She couldn't do anything right. Above them, the clouds had thinned out and the sky was turning orange as day changed to night. The sun was setting into the mountains, giving off rays of golden light.

"The twilight's so beautiful," She said, "It reminds me of The World, where the game was based off the Epitaph of the Twilight and Aura the Goddess was named after the twilight in the morning, dawn. I'm so glad we got to meet so many great people through it. It changed my life."

"It changed a lot of people's lives," Ryou says, "It helped a lot of people, too."

"Yes!" It really did save her life.

"You know, Chigusa," He continued, "I wish you'd stop trying so hard today."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

He finally turned to look back at her, and to her surprise, his eyes were kind, "I like you just the way you are."

_I won't tell you to keep trying. Because I know trying is what hurts you the most._

The same thing Haseo said to Atoli when he saved her from AIDA. It was true, wasn't it? Why hadn't she listened? She had gotten so carried away with worry that Ryou may be bored and not like her for who she is that she had completely forgotten to be herself. "Do you really?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not a bother?"

"Not all the time." He grins a little, "You.. make people smile. I might not show it, but I've really gotten used to having you around me. I like it. I like that feeling." His eyes traveled downward and Chigusa followed his glance to see that he was still gripping her hand tightly. She suddenly realized that she had not felt cold, even when they had stepped into the freezing air. No wonder..

"Ryou-san.."

"What?"

"You're such a softie!" She laughed happily.

"What?"

"Haha! You're so nice!"

"Shut up!"

"Nice, nice, nice! Haha.."

They chatted and laughed until they reached Chigusa's house. A light in the window told them that her parents were home.

"Well, it was certainly interesting today," Ryou said, grinning evilly.

"Yeah.." Chigusa blushed. "W-Were you able to have a little fun, Ryou-san?"

He pretended to think for a long time. "Well, I was amused when I saw you this morning, and the burger was pretty good.."

"That's it?"

"Maybe." He grinned, "It was okay, for a date."

"So it was a date!" She smiled, "Our second."

"Second?" He looked confused, but she couldn't tell whether it was feigned or not. "Really?"

"Yes!"

"Right, whatever."

"Well.." She glanced at the lighted window.

"Guess it's good-bye, then?" He said, nodding toward her front door.

"Yeah.."

"Okay. I'll be seeing you." He turned, but hesitated for a moment. Before starting to walk slowly away, he looked back at her and she was surprised to see a weird look in his eyes, like he wanted to come back and stay with her for a bit more but is forcing himself not to.

But that wasn't right. This shouldn't be the way today ends. Atoli had learned to be courageous in The World. Now it's time for Chigusa to be brave. There was something she had to do.

"Ryou-san! Wait!" She called, running up to him.

"Yeah?" He turned around to face her, "What's up?"

"You forgot something."

"Huh?"

She smiled, "This is a date, right?"

"Umm.. Yes?" He looked confused.

"Then you forgot this." She stood on her tiptoes and quickly, leaned forward to place a soft kiss on Ryou's lips. They were parted in shock, but she didn't care. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds, but it was filled with sweet passion. As she pulled back and ran into the house, she caught sight of Ryou's shocked expression and smiled.

The boy stood in the same position for a moment, digesting what had just happened. Had _Chigusa _really kissed him? After it had sunk it, a blush spread over his cheeks and a small grin lit up his face. It grew wider as he turned and continued his walk to the monorail station. "Stupid.." Ryou muttered to himself happily,"You stole my move."

And up in her bedroom, Chigusa leaned into her wall, heart pounding. She had done it! The thing she had so wanted to do. She was going to be herself one hundred percent from now on, and Ryou would accept her. Today wasn't a disaster, but a lesson. Months later, she would look back on this day and smile.

_Guess it's normal to have been stressed out about it,_ She thought cheerfully. _After all, I got to be with the one I like._


End file.
